Comedian Khaby Lame has become the king of TikTok without saying a word.
With more than 142.9 million followers, Lame dethroned teen dancer and content creator Charli d’Amelio and became the most watched person on the platform.
Lame, 22, was born in Senegal and currently lives in Italy. He creates videos where he reacts wordlessly to absurd tricks, racking up millions of views and likes with each post.
In recent weeks, his admirers have made an effort on social media to surpass D’Amelio on TikTok. On Instagram, Lame has 78.3 million followers, against 48.8 million for D’Amelio.
The creator started posting videos after losing a job as a factory worker in Italy in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
He spent his days locked up at his parents’ house in the Italian town of Chivasso, looking for work. One day, he downloaded TikTok and started playing around with the app in his bedroom, posting videos of himself under the name Khaby Lame.
At first, like many tiktokers, he produced videos dancing, playing video games, or performing comic stunts.
In early 2021, he began mocking videos of tricks flooding social media platforms, reacting to them with a wordless shrug or an exasperated look.
@khaby.lame Yes literary Genius my friend 🤲🏿🤦🏿♂️ #learnfromkhaby #learnwithtiktok @tiktok ♬ suono originale – Khabane lame
“The idea came about because I was seeing these videos going around, and I liked the idea of giving them a little bit of simplicity,” Lame told CNN , at the end of last year. “I thought of a way to reach a greater number of people, and the best way was not talking.”
In addition to the tips videos, Lame also publishes short parodies starring his expressive but wordless reactions.
Their reactions embody the expression “shaking the head” in internet abbreviated forms. After his commonsense approach to the task, Lame extends his arms, palms up, as if to point out the obvious.
These silent yet expressive reactions have catapulted him into the position of one of social media’s most recognized digital creators.
“You don’t have to say anything for them to see you or understand you,” Christina Ferraz told CNN , founder of Houston-based public relations agencies Thirty6five. “His exasperation is identifiable and his feelings are universal.”
Lame’s deadpan humor has attracted admirers from around the world, who regularly send him videos of people doing simple tasks in complicated ways.
His stoic facial expressions have also become meme stars, with his face published in reaction videos on social media.
Lame did not immediately respond to a request from CNN to comment on his new reign on TikTok, but said last year that he doesn’t post the videos to gain fame.
“I don’t care if I’m first, second, or fourth most popular on TikTok. I started making videos because I wanted to make people laugh in a period of isolation,” he said. “And I keep making the videos with the same ideals. I’m happy for the success, but it’s not the main thing.”
Lame said one of her goals is to work with her favorite movie star, Will Smith.
Source: CNN Brasil
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